jar
Contributing Member
I experienced a great example of just that.Here's the key unstated part: mostly, they were carrying illegally. Depending on the part of the country, the local authorities didn't care, as long as you fit the definition of "good ole boy."
Long long ago in a time far far away my wife and I were living in Southern California. I was designing CableTv systems and my wife was a legal assistant. It was summer 1967 and Reagan had just signed the Mulford Act created specifically because members of the Black Panthers had peacefully exercised their 2A rights by carrying loaded weapons in public.
My wife's boss had been appointed to represent guy who was tried and convicted for committing murder and at the sentencing hearing had said he'd kill the judge and the prosecutor and his attorney (my wife's boss) and pointing directly at my wife "and you too missy". Later he escaped and the police warned us we really needed to be armed, aware and cautious since about all they could do would be to drive by our neighborhood more often. When I pointed out that carrying my gun was a direct violation of the law they assured me that law was not meant for folk like me.